I am hugely impressed by our newly opened Severn View Park Care Home in Portskewett, which caters sensitively and innovatively for people with dementia. More than thirty residents are able to live as normal a life as possible by the way the facilities have been designed to provide best-practice care.

The environmentally friendly design sets four houses around a communal ‘village hall’ surrounded by gardens and allotments, creating a variety of both private and shared spaces for everyone. Residents are able to maintain a sense of personal identity and inclusion, and by creating opportunities through events and shared spaces, they can develop connections with the surrounding community in the Crick Road housing development.

The home is a great example of a collaborative approach, in which our teams worked with other local authorities and the health board in the Gwent Regional Partnership Board, accessing funding support from the Welsh Government.

Visiting the home, I was able to sense how the design provides familiarity for people with dementia – a sense of being at home. No reception desk or office out front. Instead the homes open directly into the areas where people live. And the staff reinforce this approach, to give a sense of inclusion for the residents.

Each home area has a fully equipped kitchen where residents can be assisted to prepare and cook meals, or their families can cook with them and eat together at a large dining table which can add to a feeling of inclusion and normality.

As my cabinet colleague, Councillor Ian Chandler said, we are committed to providing the best possible care to our most vulnerable residents and this new home allows us to do just that.